Cubans - Economy

Subsistence and Commercial Activities.
Since 1959, the Cuban government has endeavored to provide food
security to its population and increase access to basic needs in
housing, education, and medical care. Programs have been implemented to
diversify and decentralize agricultural production, exploit nickel
reserves, develop light industries, expand the fishing and tourist
industries, and increase export earnings to provide for other
development needs.

Before the collapse of the socialist bloc, over 40 percent of
Cuba's food supply was imported. The National Rationing Board
attempted to assure distribution of minimum basic food needs based on
demographics. The island suffered severe food shortages in 1993 and
1994, following climatic disasters and the loss of most of its oil
imports and 30 percent of its agrochemical, machinery, and parts
imports. Attempts to address the crisis included the transformation of
state farms into worker-owned enterprises or cooperatives, the
reintroduction of farmers' markets, and new trade arrangements
for food imports from other countries. The government also legalized
private markets and private vendors and suppliers of services in many
industries.

Industrial Arts.
Cuba is well known for its production of handcrafted wood and cane
furniture as well as folk-music instruments.

Trade.
Until the 1990s, government-owned food stores set uniform prices for
rationed foods. Prices remained fixed from the early 1960s to 1981, when
they were increased slightly. Government nonrationed food markets were
expanded in 1983 and 1994 to provide greater supplies and varieties of
foods and to end black marketeering. Consumer goods remained under
government ownership and control until 1994, when the government
legalized the taxable, direct sale, without price controls, of crafts
and surplus industrial goods by licensed private vendors. Price
increases on services and some products followed the 1994
decriminalization of the dollar. Taxes were introduced in select areas.

Division of Labor.
The traditional division of labor by gender—
casa
(home) and
calle
(street)—ascribed to urban, upper-class Latin American societies
began to change significantly during World War II, as more middle-class
women entered professional fields. In the postrevolutionary period,
transference between gender-traditional occupations has made limited
strides. Although women have become more educated, have entered new job
fields, and play a greater role in political organizations, they
continue to be concentrated in the traditional fields of education and
public health and remain underrepresented in politics. The labor force
of 3 million presently includes 30 percent engaged exclusively in
agriculture, 20 percent in industry, 20 percent in services, 11 percent
in construction, 10 percent in commerce, and 5 percent in government.

Land Tenure.
Since eliminating foreign ownership and large private estates, which
were legacies of the colonial system, agrarian reform has gone through
several stages. By the mid-1980s,
80
percent of land had come under state ownership, 11 percent was
organized into cooperatives, and 9 percent was held by private owners.
Food crises forced alteration of this system in 1994. State farms were
replaced by Basic Units of Cooperative Production, which are allowed to
sell in farmers' markets any food they produce in excess of
government requirements. To diversify the economy further and earn
foreign exchange, the government entered into investment contracts with
foreign enterprises in the fields of construction technology, consumer
goods, mining, biotechnology, oil, sugar, and tourism.